Early last month, I was sending ChatGPT pictures of some very sad plants. They’d had pretty flowers at one point but a busy August travel season did them in. Now I was looking at dry stems and dead stuff, trying to figure out what could be saved and how much I should cut away.
There were several follow-up questions, including whether the purply things that looked like mini blueberries were going to bloom. At one point, I asked, “Can you reproduce this picture and circle where you’re talking about I should cut?” That was the level of instruction I needed, and I was quite comfortable asking for it. And it did exactly as I’d asked.
I kept sending pictures as I worked, asking whether I should cut more and what to do about watering. Eventually, I could see green inside the stems, and by the end I was reporting that the plants looked better already. The next day, I was happy to see solid life again –
The Same Process Works for Your Business –
That exchange is a good example of how I use AI. I didn’t know the gardening terms or exactly what to ask at the beginning. I described what I was looking at and asked more questions when I needed a better explanation. You can approach a business task the same way, starting with what you want help doing and working through the details.
Maybe you’re looking at next week’s calendar and a list of things you need to finish, wondering how they’re all going to fit.
Give AI your working hours, the appointments already booked, and the tasks you want to complete. You can talk it through, share screenshots of your calendar and task list, or, if you’ve connected those tools, ask it to go in and check them directly. Include the time you need for lunch, travel, and whatever else belongs in your week. Ask it to suggest a schedule and point out where you’ve taken on more than the available hours will allow.
Then look at the plan. Has it put a writing project into the half hour between two meetings? Scheduled demanding work at the time of day you’re usually running out of steam? Tell it what needs to change. “I need a longer stretch for that, and I do it better in the morning” gives it something useful to work with.
Keep adjusting until the schedule looks like a week you could actually live with. You may need to move a deadline or decide that something can wait. AI can help you explore the options while you make those decisions.
Once you’re happy with the plan, ask AI to add the blocks to your connected calendar. Have it save your preferences and the planning steps as a reusable skill or set of instructions. Next week, you can bring the new commitments and pick up from there, with your working hours and preferences already in place.
This is the kind of support I’m working with in my business: preparing materials, organizing work, and following through on details. I stay responsible for the results and keep the direct interaction with my clients personal.